The Japanese Kyodo news agency, citing sources, said that China intends to triple its nuclear arsenal, bringing the number of nuclear warheads to 900 by 2035.
According to the agency, China will work to increase the number of nuclear warheads it possesses in two phases, so that the number will be increased to 550 by the centenary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army in 2027 and to 900 by 2027. 2035.
The agency added, citing its sources, that Chinese President Xi Jinping has approved a plan to strengthen Beijing’s nuclear capabilities, given the recent aggravation of relations between China and the United States over Taiwan.
According to a recent report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), all the countries of the “nuclear club” – Russia, Great Britain, Israel, India, China, North Korea, Pakistan, the United States and France – are working to develop their nuclear programs.
The Institute indicated that the number of nuclear warheads will increase over the next decade, despite a decrease in the total in January 2022 to 12,705 nuclear warheads compared to 2021, when the number of nuclear warheads reached 13,080.
According to the institute, China will take the third place in the world in terms of the number of nuclear warheads after Russia and the United States.
Source: TASS